Another Tradition
by Creamoe
Summary: Just a little oneshot about one of Taz's past experiences on a certain holiday. It's not another birthday fic. Slight TUp at the end, but it is mostly in the past.


**A/N: I honestly have no idea where this came from, but it popped into my head and it took me a few hours to complete. Anyways, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Starship**

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The young girl sat hunched over at her desk late into the night, quietly muttering to herself. She is so focused on her project, she didn't hear her bedroom door swing open. In fact, she would never have realized anyone was watching her, but the clearing of a throat startled her out of her concentration.

She spun around quickly only to relax when she saw it was her brother.

"Mierda, Javier. Don't do dat," she scolded breathlessly.

The older boy just chuckled and walked up to the desk.

"What are jou working on?" he asked, peering over her shoulder.

She clumsily tried to cover her project with her body, but jumped back up, blood running down her finger. Javier quickly grabbed his sister's wrist and rushed her to the bathroom. He put her hand under the water and thoroughly cleaned her finger.

"Javier, parar! Déjame hacerlo," she whined.

"No, just let me do dis. Jou don't need to do everything on jour own. Ahora, por favor, déjame terminar."

The fourteen year old resigned and slumped as her brother took care of her. After dressing the wound, he led her back into her bedroom.

"Now, what did jou cut jourself on?"

She went to her desk and picked up a good sized knife.

"Where did jou get dis?" he asked.

"De market. In de city."

"Jou know jour not allowed to go dere!" Javier exclaimed incredulously. "We're outsiders here. Jou can't just go walk around de American city!"

"But I don't want to stay in de colonies! I didn't even want to move here!"

"None of us wanted to, but sometimes dings happen and dey cause us to do some necessary evils." He took her into his strong arms. "Mi hermana, if we didn't leave Mexico, we would've been killed."

He squeezed her tightly as she sighs.

He sits her back up. "Now, why were jou using a knife? Show me what jou have done."

She smiles and lifts up a leather band with a small block of wood in the middle. On the wood is one of the most intricate designs Javier had ever seen.

"Did jou carve dis?" he asked in awe.

"Sí. But I am having trouble with dis curve. De block won't stay still!" she said. Frustrated, she threw down the knife and carving.

"Here. Mírame, pequeña," he sent her a smirk while she glared back. "Hold dis steady, por favor. Now, see what I'm doing with my wrist?"

She nods.

"Bueno. I'm gonna hold it down now and jou're gonna carve just how I showed jou. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied, her eyes fixated on the wood.

"Just do it when jou're ready."

He watches as his sister slowly lowers the knife and hesitates before flicking her wrist and successfully smooths the curve.

"I did it! It's almost done!" She high-fives Javier. "Just una cosa más."

She flips the block over and starts whittling away. Javier looks at her work and she grins up at him. "Jou wanna do jours?"

He grins back and takes the knife from her. The siblings worked late into the night, putting on the final touches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The calm of the next morning was broken suddenly by the pounding of tiny feet down the stairs. Valencia looked up from her magazine to see her daughter skid into the kitchen and stop in front of her, her hands behind her back.

"Buena dias. What do jou have behind jou?"

The young girl smiled and handed it to her just as Javier walked into the room and ruffled her hair. Valencia took the small, decorated package and waited until Javier came to the table to start opening it.

Inside, she found a leather necklace with a hand-carved wooden pendant. On the front of the pendant was the design printed on the quilt her grandmother made her when she was young. She was tearing up when she heard Javier whisper,

"Flip it over, Mom. Darle la vuelta."

"She turns the necklace over in her hands to see _Feliz Día de la Madre _engraved on the back along with two names. _Javier and Taz._

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"Taz. Earth to Taz!" Up's voice startled her back into reality.

"What, Up?"

"I was just wondering what this was," he replied holding up the necklace she had made her mother all those years ago.

She snatched it from him and looked on the inside of the leather band. On the inside of the strap were tally marks cut into the leather. She quickly counted them up. _Thirteen_.

"Up, dis was de last gift I gave my mom for Mother's Day before my Quincenera. I was fourteen when I made it. Dat was thirteen years ago. It was de closest I ever felt towards mi hermano."

"Hey, Taz?" She looked up at him. "Have you ever thought about making another one?"

"Que?"

"Well, you said you felt really close to your brother and you gave it to someone who cared for you, protected you, loved you. You say it's been thirteen years? What if, every thirteen years you pick someone who you are close with to make it and choose someone you know who has been like a guardian to you to give it to on Mother's Day?"

"Well..."

"You don't have to. It's actually a pretty stupid idea. Now you probably think I'm stupid."

"Oi!" she yelled. "Jou gotta start moving your butt if jou wanna finish the necklace in time for Mother's Day, _Javier_!"

She winked at him and he grinned, getting up after her to start another tradition with the woman he loves.

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**A/N: Happy Mother's Day! Well, I hope this uploaded in time for Mother's Day.**

**Either way, please review! Even if you didn't like it, or thought it was mediocre, I still like to hear what y'all have to say!**


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